Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-02-26
A CANADIAN TOBOGGAN.
As Seen in the Land Where the Sport
Originated Of Its Pleasures
and Its PeriIs.
Picturesque Costumes and Daring
Riders-The Experience of
Novice.
Bos on Post.


the steeplechaser, or causes the pulses to
quicken in the daring yachtsman plotting
his craft in race regardless of squall or
flaw, or strengthens the muscles OF the
mountaineer scaling some dizzy cliff in
his endeavor to reach the summit above.
The presence of danger stirs all his vital
ity, tightens his nervous system and
brings into action all the play OF his
limbs, producing sensations termed, for
want of d better name, excitement. The
present out-ofdoo craze is tobogganing,
and its popularity is due not only to the
fact that the sport is carried on in the cold,
invigorating atmosphere, but to the posi-
bility OF injured bodies as we'll. So, bor-
bowling the idea from our Canadian cous-
ms, with whom it originated, slides and
chutes have been built IN many of our
New England cities, on which young men
and maidens, clad in gayly-colored blank
cts, coast down hill on board much the
same as did their fathers and mothers a
generation ago on the icy cTusts of the
New Hampshire hills.
But tobogganing in New England and
the same sport in Canada are two differ
ent things; they are no more to oe COM
pared than are sweet cider and fourteen
year.old cognac. The former is pleasant,
easy and safe; the latter, glorious, diff
cult and highly dangerous. Doubtless
many New Englanders who have visited
the carnival in Montreal during the past
week have had an opportunity of testing
the merits of q Canadian toboggan, and 10
all noviCes the experience was decided
revelation. In the first place, Canadian
will scorn to 20 where the slide is less than
half or three quarters OF mile in length
or the chute lower than seventy-tive or
eighty feet. Then they have rash habit
of watering the slide, causing tito become
q sheet of smooth, glittering ice, which,
in that cold climate, seldom thaw5 from
December to April. Thus prepared, the
surface offers little or no resistance to the
smooth. icy bottom Of the tObOggan, and
it descends the sharp declivity with light
ming rapidity. To the uninitiated tobOg
gaming appears very simple and easy. Al
that apparently is required is to sit Sc
curely and allow the toboggan to descend
in the runway prepared for it. But wo
to him who, believing thus, attempts to
guide one. TObogganing is g science and
is only mastered after years of praCJice
and innumerable hard knocks. The Can
adams begin to "tobog" almost as soon
as they can walk, and as q result when
they become older the sharp decent, the
rapid motion and the accompanying dan
ger have no effect upon them. The sight
of q load of experienced tobogganers de-
scending slide fills the stranger with adj
miratiOn. In front, perhaps, will be
seated plump little lady, clad in heavy
blanket coat, coquetish toque on her
head and highly Colored sash about her
waist. The sharp, biting air and the eX-
citement of the sport has brought the
blood to her rounded cheeks and the fire
to her eyes, and she looks the perfect pic
ture of health and happiness. Without
the slightest fear she seats herself in
front, crosses her moccasined feet beneath
her, gTasps the ropes with a firm hand,
and she is ready. Behind her is another
lady, sometimes g third, and then comes
the steerer. He holds the toboggan
firmly until all are ready. If he is an eX-
pert he lifts the rear of the timber tObog
gan, throws it forward with quick move
ment, and rides on the left knee. With
the toe of his right foot he stesdies the
machine, barely touching the ice, and like
a fash of light the party has reached the
bottom Of the hill. That is Canadian to-
bogganing.
the top of the chute slants al an angle
of nearly forty-fve degrees for q short
distance, followed by level space and
then another sharp descent stretching out
across the fields tor distance of nearly
g mile. There are four slides on the
chute, and when the weather is good all
are occupied at once. Few people have
any idea of the speed attained by these
toboggans. On the Montreal slide down
Mt. Royal, which is the fastest in the city,
the length of the coast is over three
quarters of mile. On cold nights when
the chute is smooth g toOoggan, carrying
four persons, will make the distance in
twenty-five seconds, or al rate of about
one hundred and twenty-five miles an
hour. On this slide there is one section
where there is sharp dip in the chute,
and at this point the toboggan will not
follow the coast but will Jump the space
so quickly and easily that the riders are
scarcely aware they have been actually
flying through the air. To the novice
this high rate of speed is decidedly try
ing. Unless he is exceedingly careful in
keeping his balance he will fall off and
this would be most disastrous. Then
there is something peculiar in the sur
roundings. Seated front in a toboggan
at the top Of the chute, a glance down the
long, shining, ICY path will cause an in
voluntary shudder; there is feeling of
great uncertainty as to what is gong to
happen. Then comes the signal from the
steerer: care you ready" and you are
of! Heavens, what a sensation! You
feel as though you had been shot from the
mouth of q cannon. The wind cuts your
face like knife; the sharp descent and
terrible rspidity give you the feeling OF
"goneness" in the pit OF your stomach,
while your heart comes up into your
mouth. The rattle Of the icy toboggan
seems deafening; the frailty OF all things
human is painfully apparent, and while
you are wondering whether you will ever
get out of the scrape alive you have
reached the end. Then comes the resc-
ton. The blood tiDgles TO your finger
tips; the fresh air fills your lungs, you
feel full OF life and vigor and in s. few
minutes there comes an irresistible desire
to try it again. The secondyenture gives
you the same delightful sensations with
out the feeling of danger. and after few
trials tobogganing becomes mania.
But the danger still remains. Not on
the imitation slides, but on the genuine
Canadian srticle, and when an accident
does occur, it is generally serious one.
Already quite 8 number have been Sc